Friday, 30 November 2018

5 Ways To Boost Your Christmas Budget This Year

Christmas is a time of year many of us look forward to and dread simultaneously. While it’s a fun time to spend with family and friends, it’s the amount of money you spend that can cause problems. Even if you’ve devoted the year to diligently saving to buy gifts, food, and everything else, there’s still a chance that your current budget doesn’t quite match up with your plans. Although you can make compromises and cut costs where possible, many would rather find the extra cash somehow. With that in mind, here are five ways to boost your budget this Christmas.

1. Ask For Extra Hours

Regardless of your job, many companies get much busier throughout the festive season. Unfortunately, this can make life particularly difficult for bosses, who have to ensure that work still gets done, even though most employees would rather be at home. For this reason, managers are always crying out for workers who are willing to put in a few extra hours over Christmas. If you pick up a few yourself now and then, you’ll make them happy and earn some extra money.

2. Pick Up Seasonal Work

As already mentioned, pretty much every company gets busier during December, which is why many choose to take on temporary staff to lighten the load. If you can’t get overtime in your own company, then see if you can pick up seasonal work elsewhere. Retail businesses are particularly busy, but you could also look into bar and restaurant work, delivering, and more. Just make sure that doing so won’t break your contract with your current employer.

3. Clear Out Your House

With so much coming into the house on Christmas day, it makes sense to get rid of the things you no longer want or need before this happens. This way, you’ll have a much more organized home and can also make some money selling your unwanted belongings. Make sure to go through every room and set aside anything that is of little use to you anymore. Once you have a good pile of things, you can host a garage sale, put them on Craigslist, or list them on eBay.

4. Open An Online Store

If there’s nothing in your home that you’re willing to part with, then consider your talents and make something that you can. Whether it be pottery, knitting, or art, there are always people looking to buy homemade items for themselves and others. If you’re not particularly artistic, then buy wholesale rugs, furniture, or something else, and sell that on for a profit instead. You’ll need money to do this, but, once things are up and running, you can watch the cash roll in.

5. Ditch Non-Essential Purchases

The festive season is full of overindulgence and treats you only see around Christmas. With that in mind, you should try cutting back on a few of the other non-essential purchases you make throughout the rest of the year, like your morning coffee or takeaways at the weekends. These sacrifices may only be small and temporary, but, once you give it a few days, you’ll start to notice the difference in your finances.

Christmas is a costly time of year, so follow the tips above and boost your budget.